India’s star batter, Virat Kohli has been an integral part of the team for many years now. The former captain hasn’t made an appearance in domestic cricket since 2012. However, as per a report by Indian Express, he is set to make his return in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, starting in September. Indian captain, Rohit Sharma will also make his presence felt in the competition, as per the report.
It is worth mentioning that the upcoming Duleep Trophy is set to start on 5th September 2024 in a new format. The selection committee has emphasized on centrally contracted players to play the tournament. The decision has been made with an eye on the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
Amidst all this, an old tweet of Virat Kohli has gone viral on ‘X’. The Tweet dates back to 2010, when he was part of the limited overs side but not the Test side. In his Tweet, Virat Kohli wrote,
“Wish me luck for Duleep Trophy….”
In contrary to the report, ESPN Cricinfo also stated the participation of Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in the Duleep Trophy 2024 is highly unlikely.
Virat Kohli quits T20Is following T20 World Cup 2024 Triumph
Virat Kohli dished out a below-par performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, in the final, he channeled his inner beast when the chips were down for India. The big-match player played a stellar knock of 76 important runs to help India register the win and, thereby, claim the T20 World Cup Trophy.
He won the Man of the Match trophy in the final and, later, announced his retirement from the T20Is along with Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
He made his return to the side ahead of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, the series turned out to be a forgettable one for the former Indian captain. He failed to play against the Sri Lankan spinners on a turning track and looked lulls while facing the spinners.
Kohli has been struggling against the spinners for quite some time now. The struggles were visible in the home Test matches and was evident in the series against Sri Lanka. He got out to the spinners in all three matches without any notable score against his name.
In the Test series against Bangladesh, he will be facing some good spinners on some turning tracks back at home. Participation in the Duleep Trophy could be a much needed practice for the star batter.
